Information and analytics company Experian has acquired internet marketing intelligence firm Hitwise for approximately $240m in cash.

Hitwise collects and aggregates information from ISPs on how more than 25 million consumers use and search the internet in the US and the UK, as well as in Australia and other countries in Asia Pacific.

Hitwise uses proprietary technology to report on nearly a million websites each day and sells this information to companies which market their services online.

The acquisition of Hitwise continues the repositioning of Experian's Marketing Solutions activities.

Experian said that companies are increasingly shifting from mass marketing through established media, such as direct mail, to more targeted marketing through email, the internet and mobile devices.

Don Robert, chief executive at Experian, said: "We have been successfully repositioning our Marketing Solutions business to meet our clients' needs as they continue to switch more of their advertising spend online.

"Hitwise, which is a successful and rapidly growing business, brings new unique data to Experian and complements the existing data, tools and expertise that we already offer to clients in other areas such as research services and email distribution."